Choosing a city to live in the Philippines is very important. Things you should consider are: health care, recreation, variety of food available, and places to rent\buy to name a few. There are many good cities that will offer you a good life but doing some research first is wise. As you do the research, you will find that you meet different people, living in various cities who are most willing to help and give you their opinion. As you do this research you will also learn some Asian culture which is different from the West. There’s a lot of guys here who truly want to help other people, especially those coming here for the first time. You may also run into some crazy jerks but one can weed them out. Meeting some people on-line, you can already have friends when you come. They will most likely help you get settled and find a place to live.
I had this experience. Coming back to the Philippines, I dated a girl that lived in Gingoog. I traveled to Gingoog by bus about 90km and rented a small apartment there. The problem was this. There just wasn’t anything to do. There were a few nice restaurants but they only served Filipino food. There was no night life and the health care was second rate. I ended staying there for two week period and then traveling back to Cagayan de oro, going back and forth over a six month period. Finally I moved back to Cagayan de oro.
Some cities have big Brit Groups, Aussie Groups and other Expat Groups. If you want that, it is available. We have about 1000 Expats here, 400 bing Japanese. Of the remaining, about 15 or 20 are active in the Expats Group here, but there Are some good guys there.
I am happily married and have two boys that we just enrolled in a very good private school. There is a brand new, state of the art hospital just near us. There happen to be several in Cagayan de oro.
Best wishes for a happy life here.
Brad Hughes
